


The Void

by CelestialLink



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Brotherly Love, Fluff, Gen, Mystery, The Void
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 15:43:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13298052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelestialLink/pseuds/CelestialLink
Summary: The room was dark, silent except for two voices. The voices belonged to two unnamed government men. One spoke first, his voice was gruff and low. "Name: Charles Neal. Age: thirty-nine. Occupation: self-proclaimed 'Internetainer'.""Does he have any family?""A wife and three children.""And he is suspected to be in the Void?""Yes, sir. His disappearance matches all other reports of those found to be in the Void.""Unfortunate. Do you think there is any hope for his escape?""I don't know, sir.""We can only hope, for his family's and his own sake."





	The Void

The room was dark, silent except for two voices. The voices belonged to two unnamed government men. One spoke first, his voice was gruff and low. "Name: Charles Neal. Age: thirty-nine. Occupation: self-proclaimed 'Internetainer'."

"Does he have any family?"

"A wife and three children."

"And he is suspected to be in the Void?"

"Yes, sir. His disappearance matches all other reports of those found to be in the Void."

"Unfortunate. Do you think there is any hope for his escape?"

"I don't know, sir." 

"We can only hope, for his family's and his own sake."

 

Christy paced the floor, her heart thundering in her chest. She felt numb, all feelings except pure fear had left her. Her nights were dreaded, for she always had nightmares. These nightmares were flashbacks. She heard the clatter of the plate Link had been carrying and when she turned to see what happened, there was no sign of her husband. It was as if he had suddenly been taken out of the world, and put into another one. Little did Christy know, that was exactly what happened.

The Void is what it had been called. No one knew what it was like there, maybe it wasn't a void at all, but whatever it was, it had been stealing people right out from their homes. It spread on the news back in November. People were vanishing in mid-air. No one expected it would happen to a loved one, or even themselves, but it did. Link had vanished on Christmas day. 

Link was helping Christy set up while their parents and kids were out getting some last minute items. They had switched things up this year, Christy's and Link's parents flew out to visit the Neal's instead.

Christy had run around the house, screaming her husband's name, but to no reply. Just like that, Link had vanished out of thin air. Once the family all got back and could find no trace of him, Christy called Rhett, who was on the other side of the country.

"Hey Christy, something wrong?"

"Rhett, Rhett, we can't find Link! We-we've looked everywhere, but he's not here. I-I tried to call him, and he's not answering, and I, I mean he, he's just gone, the plate shattered, but he wasn't there!"

"Christy, Christy, please take a deep breath. You're hysterical. Try to calm down before you talk. Or, is there anyone else I can talk to? Is anyone else there?"

Without answering, Christy took the phone and handed it to Link's mom.

"Rhett? Rhett, this is Sue. Listen, I don't know everything because I didn't see it, but I'll tell you what I do know. Link and Christy were setting up for Christmas dinner. Everyone except those two went out to buy some sparkling juices and some extra silverware. When we got back, Christy was running all around, calling for Link. We tried to call him, but it goes straight to voicemail. She said he was setting the table and she heard a plate shatter. She saw the plate on the floor, but Link wasn't there. We've looked all over the house and yard, but we can't find him. Christy thinks, she's starting to think that Void thing may have gotten him." At that point, Sue choked up.

"Oh no, no, that can't be! He's gotta be there! Listen, I'm going to get the soonest flight I can and I'm gonna come see you guys. Keep calling him, you'd better file a missing person report if you can't find him. Send someone out to drive around and see if he's around somewhere. Try not to panic. He can't be gone. The Void couldn't have gotten him. It just couldn't have, okay?"

It had been almost a month, and there was no trace of Link anywhere. The police had taken the report, but it was now assumed Link was taken by the Void. Rhett sat down in front of the desk in the studio, the chair on his left was empty, and he choked back a sob. Drawing in a shaky breath, he cued the camera man that he was ready. There was a count down, and then Rhett looked up. His voice was solemn, deeper than usual.

"Mythical beasts, there's something I need to tell you. There's a reason we, well I didn't come back a couple weeks ago like we had promised. As you can see-" Rhett's voice cracked and he cleared his throat. His big green eyes were glassy with tears. "A-as you can see, Link's chair is empty. Something horrible has happened. On Christmas day, I received a phone call from Christy, Link's wife. She told me Link was missing. At the time, I had no idea it would have escalated to this..." Rhett got choked up again and he closed his eyes tightly. The sound of his heartbeat filled his ears and he gasped for air, not realizing he had even been holding his breath. 

After calming himself from his short-lived panic attack, Rhett lifted his head and continued. "A couple days ago, we heard back from the police. He has been labeled another victim of the Void. I-I'm sure you've heard of it, but in case you haven't, I'll explain. All over the world, for almost three months now, people have been disappearing without a single trace. No one knows how, and no one knows where they go. They call the place where these people end up, the Void. No one has ever been found that is taken to the Void. No one ever seems to come back. They're just gone, forever. Maybe they're not even alive anymore. W-we have no way of knowing. All I know is, my best friend is there... And until I bring him back, you won't be seeing anything from this channel or any of our social medias. I don't know if you'll ever hear from us again. I don't know if I can save him, but I'm gonna give it everything I can to find him and bring him back. Thanks." Rhett got up and walked away, leaving the crew scrambling to cut off the cameras.

 

At first, all he could see was the dark. The dark consumed him, silence surrounded him. He would cry out into the nothingness, but silence was all he got in return. There was no echo. As soon as the sound left his throat, it died. Link ran, but without going anywhere. As he ran, he tripped, and he started to feel himself fall, but again, he wasn't going anywhere. He felt nothing, except that horrible sinking feeling. His heart was beating faster than he could ever remember it beating, he was sure it would explode in his chest any minute. But then, it all stopped. He wasn't falling anymore. He started to see a light, and he got up on his feet. His vision was blurry, but he ran as fast as he could towards the light. It was getting farther from him. 

"No! No, come back! Stop! Please, help me!" Link's pitiful screams did nothing, and soon the light vanished. He fell down on his knees and cried into his hands. "Please, please come back. I'm so scared, so lonely. Help me. Help me."

 

The days dragged by, and Rhett had no idea how he could find Link. To him, he imagined the Void as another dimension. It claimed its victims, but no one could enter it by choice. Rhett didn't even know where to start. First, he had searched all over Los Angeles, just in case Link somehow hadn't been spotted before, but was there after all. Of course, he found no sign of his friend. The tall man's back was suffering from the constant searching. Rhett had chronic back issues, having herniated discs many times throughout his forty year life. But even if it happened again, his back would not stop him from searching. Link had to be somewhere, or maybe he wasn't. Maybe Link was  taken to the Void, and if that was the case, Rhett would still find him. 

As the weeks dragged on, the stress was starting to kill Rhett. Well, it certainly felt that way. Nothing was working, he couldn't find a way to save Link. "Link, brother, I won't let you down. I'll bring you home. Promise. You trust me? You had better. Maybe, maybe you'll come home too. Maybe I don't need to save you. I bet you could find a way out." Rhett was talking to himself as he tried to sleep. He was resting in a cheap, run down motel in Northern California at the moment. 

Alone with his thoughts, he truly let the anxiety sink in. Rhett always thought he could protect Link, keep him safe. He even expressed it once, but this was different. This was something totally out of Rhett's ability, and he had never felt so helpless in his life. With the mix of his back pain and the constant worry he was experiencing, Rhett barely slept that night. 

He felt so alone. Part of him was missing. Link was his other half, they sometimes were so used to each other, they literally thought of themselves as just two halves of one person. Because of this, Link's absence in his life was tearing him apart. By two in the morning, Rhett decided he would take a shower, pack up his things, and leave. He just couldn't sleep. "Maybe I could go home. Maybe, maybe this is all some crazy, long dream. I'll wake up in my own bed, life will be perfectly normal. Yeah, of course. That's all this is, just a dream. Just a dream."

Rhett felt like he was losing his mind. He knew it wasn't a dream. He was getting desperate. The bearded man had made a promise to find Link to save him, but he hadn't realized the effects could be so devastating to himself. Rhett was exhausted; physically, mentally, and emotionally. It felt as though someone had completely drained him of all life. He felt numb. just as Christy had before.

Rhett stood up to go shower, but his head began to throb. He brought his hands up to grip the sides of his head and he felt himself go completely limp, his body crashing down onto the creaky bed. He lost consciousness, his body was too exhausted to keep going. As the darkness surrounded him, his eyes closed and he let go.

 

Link opened his eyes. Had he been sleeping? Had another day gone by? Of course, there were no days or nights. He had figured that out the first "day" he had been there. Link's stomach rumbled, he was starving, but at the same time, he wasn't getting any thinner. He hadn't eaten since Christmas day, and he could feel it, but other than the feeling of hunger, he wasn't affected by it at all. He had been gone for two months now. 

"Well, what do we have here? Light again. Oh wonderful. Another day in the Void as they called it back home. I used to be scared of what hid in the dark, because I couldn't see it, and therefore, it could hurt me. But now, now that fear is gone. I'm completely alone. There's nothing else here. No one but me. No animals, no light, no grass, no sky, no sun, no moon, no stars. Just, Link. Me!" Link laughed, but then he started to cry. He too, seemed to be losing his mind. 

"I want to go home, please, let me go home! I miss my wife and my kids, I miss Rhett, I miss my mom, my dad, a-and Louis too! Please, let me go home. I can't take this anymore!" Link's shouts for freedom went unanswered. He curled up on his side and quietly cried. 

After a while, Link opened his eyes again. He could see the light in the distance and he sniffled softly before getting up and approaching it. This time, it seemed to get closer. Link smiled and he ran. Once he got to it, the brightness dimmed and he could see what was emitting the light. There was a book. Link looked down at the words written on the cover. "A human life is worth more than anything that could ever be imagined." Link tentatively reached out his hand and laid in on the book. It felt warm and comforting, like a hug from your mother.

The man gently grabbed the corner of the cover and flipped it open. The first few pages were blank, but the fifth page had something written on it. "Charles Lincoln Neal III. Born June 1, 1978." He wondered what it could mean. Why was his name and birth date written down in this mysterious book.

Link flipped forward another page. He saw another name, one he did not recognize at all. As Link flipped through the pages of the book, he began to realize something, each name in this book was the name of someone who had been taken to the Void.

Alexis Julia Jonson. Born April 23, 1997

Tyrone Maximillian Peters. Born January 12, 1976

Jackson Robert Gilliam. Born September 4 1984

Theresa Marie Matthews. Born December 24, 1990

Michael Jeffrey Brown. Born March 13, 1960

Rhett James McLaughlin. Born October 11, 1977

Link gasped as he read his best friend's name. "Rhett..." Link's voice was barely a whisper. Rhett was here too. Link got up and ran away from the book. He ran through the darkness, but the book never went anywhere. It was constantly five feet behind him. Link cried out into the nothingness again, but then he heard heavy breathing. Someone was near, someone was panicking. 

Link looked around, but he saw nothing. He could clearly hear someone else was there, but where exactly that person was, Link could not tell. That is, until someone tripped over him. Link's heart filled with hope. Rhett? But when Link looked, he was met with gentle, but scared brown eyes. They belonged to a little girl. There had been other names in the book, but Link had stopped reading it once he got to Rhett's name. Link must not have come up to this little girl's name yet. 

Her hair was blonde, pulled back into a bun. She had bangs and she wore a light blue blouse with white jeans. "Pl-please don't hurt me! I don't know where I am! I want my mommy, please!" The little girl cried and Link reached out his hand, gently clasping her shoulder.

"Don't cry, don't cry. I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Link. I'm gonna try to help you, okay?" The little girl looked at Link, she swallowed down the lump in her throat before replying.

"O-okay. I'm Luna. Where are we, Link?" She sniffled and sat down beside Link, crossing her legs. 

"Well, people call it the Void. It's basically a realm of nothingness. There are some other people here too. I really need to find one of them."

"Why?"

"Well, he's my best friend. I just found out he's here. I need to find him."

"I'll help you."

"Thank you, Luna. It means a lot. Are you scared?"

"Yes, but I think you're very nice, so I feel a bit better now. Thank you." Link smiled for the first time since he had been in the void. 

"You're welcome, kiddo. Let's go look for my friend. He's really tall, hair goes up, he has a beard, and he's blonde."

"And what's his name?" Luna asked as she stood up.

"Rhett. His name is Rhett. And I'm thinking he's our only way out of here." Link held out his hand, and Luna placed her tiny one in his. If Link was guessing, he would say Luna was about six or seven. It was nice to have some company again. Someone to talk to. Someone that made it feel like maybe there was hope, hope of finding Rhett, hope of going home.

"Rhett.... I think I saw him earlier, but I was so scared, I didn't stop."

"You saw him?" Link's heart filled with new hope. He bit his lip and looked around. All that he could see was darkness. It was bizarre, they were walking on what seemed to be a floor, but there was no actual floor. All there was, was the dark. 

"I think so. We're going to find him?"

"Yes, Luna, we will find him. Maybe we'll find some of the other people that have been taken here too. In the meantime, would you like to tell me a little about yourself? I'll do the same when you're done."

"Okay. My name is Luna. I'm from Georgia. I have no siblings, and I'm six years old. I have a hamster named Tiny. Oh, and blue is my favorite color." Link smiled as he listened. She reminded him of how much he missed his own kids. His youngest was somewhat close to her age. About two years older. He was interrupted from his thoughts by her soft voice. "Your turn, Link."

"Oh, right. Sorry. My name is Link. I'm thirty-nine. I grew up and lived in North Carolina for most of my life, but right now I live in California near LA. I work with Rhett, we make YouTube videos together. I have the most amazing, wonderful, and beautiful wife in the world. Her name is Christy. And we had three great kids together, Lily, Lincoln, and Lando. I have a dog named Jade. And blue is also my favorite color." Luna smiled when she heard that. The two continued sharing facts about themselves back and forth in order to pass the time as they searched for Rhett.

 

When Rhett woke up, he temporarily thought he had died. The last thing he remembered was being in a motel room. Rhett's eyes opened and he was met with the same nothingness that Link had been. He had entered the Void. Rhett stood up, his body aching terribly. A soft groan escaped his lips as he straightened his back, one vertebrate at a time. Rhett began to walk around. The pain in his back only increased from walking, but he knew he couldn't stop. "Link, if you're out here, I'll find you. I'll bring you back. I promised."

Rhett walked for what could have been hours. There was no way he could tell what time it was, there wasn't even time in this "world". His feet were tired, he just wanted to lie down and sleep forever, but he wouldn't let himself stop now. He was so close to finding Link. He couldn't stop now. He kept pushing himself forward, until he finally heard voices. Link and a little girl. They were close. 

"Link! Link, where are you?!"

"Rhett?! Rhett!!" Link picked Luna up and he began to run. "Rhett, keep talking, I'm going to find you!"

"Link, I'm over here! Link? I think I see you!" Rhett ran and ran until he came up to Link. "Link.. It's been two months. Brother."

"Oh Rhett, I hadn't realized how much I missed you." Link set Luna down and he immediately hugged Rhett tightly. Link cried a little on Rhett's shoulder. "Please, please help me get out of here, Rhett. I'm going to lose my mind." Rhett's heart was lighter, he found Link. 

"I'm not gonna let that happen. You're okay now, you're safe again. We just need to find a way out of here, and I know that we can do that. The hard part is over. You're safe now, brother." Rhett squeezed Link tightly before letting go and stepped back. "I see you made a friend."

Luna looked up at Rhett and smiled shyly. "Hello there, Rhett, I'm Luna. Link told me all about you. It's time for you two to go home."

Link wrinkled his eyebrows together and turned to look at Luna. "Yeah, it is. Um.."

"Yes Link," Luna smiled, "I was the one that brought you here. And then I was the one that brought Rhett here. I brought everyone here. There's a reason I did so, don't be upset. You see, I saved your life, then I brought Rhett here so when you went home, you didn't have to be alone. The Void is not a bad place, it certainly seems frightening, I suppose, but it's actually a good place. The people that are brought here, they're in danger of dying. That could be through an accident, a sickness, or even their own hands. You were going to get into a car accident. If I had left you on earth, you would have been in a coma this whole time. You wouldn't have woken up. But this way, I saved your life, and your family still had a glimmer of hope you could make it back to them.

"And that's what I'm letting you do now. You can go home, and you can live. I know taking you on Christmas day seemed cruel, but there is no time here, so it wasn't intentional. But, I knew your accident was coming, so I took you away from that world and brought you here until it was safe for you to go back. When you and Rhett go back to your own world, you will remember this, but physically, you will be just as healthy and well as you were when you first left it, Link. When you go back, you may tell them all this, and you can let the world know that their loved ones will return to them."

Rhett listened intently. "So you saved Link's life? You're saving all of the people here? It's a mercy mission?"

Luna smiled gently, "Yes. I'm not really a six year old girl from Georgia, I live here. Now, I'll let you two return to your homes. I'm sorry for any emotional trauma you experienced, but it was the only way I could save you."

"Luna, wait. Why didn't you tell me before? Why didn't you tell me this when I first arrived?" Link's voice was not at all angry, it was filled with wonder.

"Because it taught you a lesson, didn't it? It made you more grateful for the blessings you have in your life. It was a hard lesson, but if I told you that you could return to that life again, it wouldn't have the same effect. Now, go." Once Luna had said those words, a portal opened up. On the other side, Rhett could see his family. They were at Link's house. Christy and the kids then appeared too. Link grabbed onto Rhett's arm and the two stepped forward into the portal. With a blinding flash of light and a soft bang, the two appeared in Link's living room, surrounded by their families. 

Link ran to his wife and children and enveloped them in his arms. He laughed and cried out of pure happiness. They had never looked so beautiful in his eyes as they did right now. Rhett hugged his wife and kids as well, grateful to have brought Link back, and grateful that this whole thing was now over. 

The day went by quickly, Link couldn't remember ever being so happy. Rhett and his family stayed over for dinner. Things had quieted down by the time dinner had been finished. Jessie and Christy were now talking as they cleaned up the kitchen. The kids were all playing video games together and Rhett was outside, sitting on the steps to Link's house, watching as the sun set over the horizon. He was slowly sipping a mug of tea when he heard the door opening behind him. Rhett kept his eyes forward, immediately knowing who had come over to sit down beside him. 

"Hey brother." Rhett's smile was warm, but he still wasn't looking at Link. Just watching as the sun slowly dipped below the houses in front of them. The sky was painted with warm hues of red, orange, pink, and purple. Above them, it had turned to a deep indigo, and a few stars were poking out. "It's so beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it really is. Rhett, I want to talk to you. I haven't really gotten to since I've been back. I, I missed you. A lot. And like Luna said, I realized how amazing my life is, and the people in it. I want to thank you, Rhett. Thank you for all the times we've shared, the memories we've made. I love you like a brother, and to me, you feel like the only constant 'sibling' I've ever had. I knew that I would always have you in my life, and I knew that you would always be there for me when no one else could be. But then, I was taken away, and I thought I would never see you again. I don't often express any of this towards you, but I just want you to know that's it's always been there, and when I was gone, I worried that you would never know. So, there you go. I said it, and I want you to remember it. Just in case something ever happens, and I don't have the chance to tell you."

Rhett turned his head and looked at Link before side hugging him. "Link, thank you. That's all I can say, just thank you. You know I feel the same towards you. And I love you too, brother." Link smiled and Rhett took his arm away.

"Rhett?"

"Yes?"

"You're welcome." The two met eyes and smiled as the last rays of the sun vanished. 

"Come on, Link, let's go inside. We have nearly thirteen million people to share some good news with."


End file.
